Beaches and hills.

Thank goodness that heat wave has ended.  I'm really not good in hot weather.

While others may long for sweltering days at the beach, I long for comfortable walking days.   So that's what we did yesterday.

We explored a couple of beaches.

First stop was the West Lawrencetown Beach.

The beach here is marvellously wide and the water shallow at low tide.

We climbed that nearby hill to get a better view.

Usually near the shore, insects are not a problem as the constant wind blows them away.  Sadly, that was not the case.  The recent very wet weather, immediately followed by a heat wave, has brought on a mosquito population boom,

and the breeze was too slight to defer them.   Of course, none of this bothered Wendy and Trey.

They were happy to bound up and down the steep hill after the ball, until they both were tired.

After wandering (and swatting) my way around the hill. we headed for a different beach.

Fisherman's Reserve was another five minutes down the road.

As you can see, the weather was deteriorating.  A light rain began to fall.

The dogs quickly discovered it was low tide, and they could run wherever they wanted.

Those dogs have no idea how lucky they are:  but I do.

The Tangled Garden.

Have you ever driven by tourist attraction, once, twice, three times, passing it by without a thought,  then suddenly stopped there on a whim ?  Were you glad you did ?

Today Janet and I headed to the  Bay of Fundy to explore the area around Wolfville, home of Acadia University.

After swinging off highway 101 at exit 10, we impulsively pulled into the parking lot at The Tangled Garden.

Never been there -- no idea what to expect.

Prior to entering the garden, we went into the store to pay the ridiculously reasonable, three dollar entry fee.

I could fill this post simply with images from that store, of drying herbs and flowers,

and glowing jars of pickled herbs. and exotic cordials.

I was quite taken by the light shining through the bottles and jars.

It was a feast for the eyes, and I should have guessed that it was a mere foretaste of the garden we were about to tour.

Care to buy a wax-topped bottle of liqueur ?

But the garden beckoned ... starting with the wisteria covered arbor,

then on to the potting shed.    

I loved the idea of the arbor-covered, rectangular pond, complete with a contemplative seating area.  

Incredible pieces of sculpture were scattered throughout the gardens.

The frilly poppies danced in the breeze on curved stems.

If you ever find yourself in the area,

make sure you put stop at The Tangled Garden at the top of your "must see" list.

And while your there, try a sample of their lemon-thyme or rose petal, ice cream.

And tell them Sybil sent you.

I got mooned ...

Here in Nova Scotia, while air is warming up, the Atlantic Ocean remains very cold.  You don't even feel tempted to sit on a dock, and dangle your delicate toesies in the water just yet.

For that reason, I was pretty surprised at what I saw in the water beside the boardwalk in Halifax harbour.

There, in the sparkling water, something round, floating gently beneath the surface.  In fact there were several somethings.  

Moon Jellyfish, according to my marine life guide, are common in our area, from midsummer through fall.  I am not sure how unusual it is for them to be sighted here in mid-spring.

Feeding on plankton, small fish and crustaceans, they in turn are a common food species for leatherback sea turtles and various fish species.   

Unlike some of their cousins, their short tentacles only issue a mild sting.

Gently they undulate along.  

The photo below, includes a smaller jellyfish called a Sea Gooseberry, that comes from the Comb Jelly family.   Interestingly, my marinelife book says that they are common near the surface in late summer and autumn.  Summer ? Huh ?

If you click on the photo you can see better the Sea Gooseberry's two long tentacles.

My good chum Amy-Lynn of Flandrum Hill fame, blogged about her encounter with jellyfish back in 2010.  That post can be found here.

I need to spend more time just sitting my the water, and looking.

Just looking.